Locomotive fire box



R. J. HIM MELRIGHT.

LOCOMOTIVE FIREBOX.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 4, 1911..

Patented Jan. 3,1922.

{SHEETS-SHEET 1.

avuwwlioz R. J. HIIVIMELRIGHT.

LOCOMOTIVE FIREBOX. APPHCATION FILED MAY 4, 1917.

m mm 2 V J, P W f M H H M m 1 9w w 0 m 4 w L M oNiT sr'res RALEIGH J. HIMMELRIGEIT, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO'AMIERICAN ARCH COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

LOCOll/IOTIVE FIRE BOX.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 3, 1922.

Application filed May 4, 1917. Serial no} 166,308.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, RALEIGH J. HIMMEL- RIGHT, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Locomotive Fire Boxes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to locomotive fire boxes, and particularly to that type known as the Gaines fire box in which the fire box is divided into two compartments by a refractory baflie through which additional air is supplied.

The present invention consists in an improvement on that shown and described in my co-pending application, Serial Number 166,307, filed May 1, 1917, and issued as Patent No. 1,369,105 on February 22, 1921, in which the additional air is supplied to the fire box under automatic control, there being also means for preheating the air before it enters the fire chamber.

One of the primary objects of my present invention resides in the provision of novel I means for heating the additional air.

The foregoing, together with such other objects as may hereinafter appear, I obtain by means of a construction illustrated in preferred form in the accompanying drawings, wherein,

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic side elevation and partial section of a locomotive embodying my improvements; Figure 2 is a horizontal section through a portion of the fire box; Figure 3 is a section through the front end of the locomotive shown in Figure 1; Figure 1 is a plan view of a portion of the detail of my invention; and Figures 5 and 6 ire sectional views illustrating other detai s.

Referring now to Figure 1, it will be seen that the fire box which I have indicated as a whole at A is divided into a fire chamber B and a combustion chamber C by means of a bridge wall 7 formed of bricks or other suitable refractory material, such bridge wall being located just forward of the grates (not shown) and being carried on the cross bearer 8. The bridge wall 7 is carried up to the circulation tubes 9 to a point where it cooperates with the brick arch 1O supported on the tubes 9. Air is introduced into the fire chamber B through the bridge wall 7 by means of a plurality ofair supply pipes 11 which are connected to a main air supply pipe 12 in the manner illustrated in Figure 1 and Figure 4. At the lower ends the pipes 11 are provided with valves 13 (see Figures 1 and 5), such valves being normally gravity held in closed position, but opening to discharge deposit, pieces of brick, and other material which may work into the pipes 11.

' The pipe 12 is carried forwardly and leads to the coil 12 located in the smokebox D of the engine, there being an inlet nozzle member 12 connected to the upper end of the coil 12 in the manner indicated in Figures 1 and 3.

' The pipe 12 is controlled by the same automatic valvular mechanism shown and described in the aforesaid application, such mechanism comprising in brief, a valve 13, having an operation link 14, coupled to a rack 15 formed on the piston rod 16; The rack is engaged by a segment 17 with which is associated a weighted'arm 18. The piston rod 16 is operated by a piston 19 in cylinder 20, working steam being introduced into said cylinder from the steam pipe 21 by means of the connection 22.

The operation of such valvular mechanism is as follows: The gears 17 and weighted arm 18 normally hold the valve member 13 in closed position so that when the engine is standing, no additional air is supplied to the fire box through the pipes 11. When, however, the engine is working, working steam from the steam pipe 21 enters cylinder 20 and forces piston 19 to the left, thus causing the valve 13 to open, and establish communication between the fire box and the inlet nozzle 12 through the parts 12 ,.12 12 and 11. The suction then draws air through such parts into the fire box, and the amount of air admitted depends upon the degree of opening of the valve 13 which is proportionate to the demands of the particular working conditions of the locomotive. The pressure of the working steam admitted to the piston 19 varies considerably depending for instance upon the degree of throttle opening or the speed of the locomotive and by properly arranging the weight 18 with respect to the pressures on the piston 19, a variable opening of the valve 13 can readily be provided for. The results of this automatic regulation are a greater economy in fuel consumption, better combustion, and a marked increase in efiiciency.

The air entering through pipe 12" is heated as it passes through coil 12 in the front. endL It 1s far more advantageous to preheat the additional. air supply, as this results in better and more economical operation of the fire box, and tends to increase the efliciency, and it will be apparent that the mechanism; described constitutes a simple 7 and effective means for thus heating the air.

I (121 im 1. A locomotive fire box construction comprising a substantially vertically disposed supplemental an: inlet passage, a

transversely extending conduit forsupplymg the air, whlch opens into the vertically ply passage, means for admitting air to'said passage at at point intermediate its ends, and a valve below said air admission means normally closing the respective end of the supplemental air supply passage but adapted to automatically open and discharge accumulated deposit when the weight thereof reaches a predetermined point whereby choking of the air admission means is prevented; I e

3. Alocomotive fire box construction comprising an open ended supplemental air supply passage, means for admitting air to said passage at a point intermediate its ends, and

a valve below said air admission means no1'-' mally closing the respective end of the supplemental air supply passage but adapted to permit the automatic discharge of accumulated deposit whereby choking of the air admission means is prevented.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name. 7

RALEIGH, J. HIMMELRIGHT. 

